Spain in Four Glasses
March’s WAG meeting had an unusual last-minute twist. Butch Parry, who had
selected the wines for the afternoon, was unfortunately poorly and unable to attend
— leaving Mac and Roger with the task of preparing and presenting the entire
afternoon at short notice. They rose to the occasion with characteristic good humour,
and delivered an afternoon that, by general agreement, rather exceeded
expectations.
The room was a full one. Ray and Chris Dibble made a very welcome return —
familiar faces from earlier WAG days and genuinely missed in their absence. Joining
us for the very first time were Anne and Jon Atkinson, Vivienne Olver, Clive
Hatherill, and Ashley Price. Five new faces, and by the end of the afternoon, five
people who appeared in no great hurry to leave — which is, at WAG, the highest
form of compliment.
A warm mention, too, for Joan Parry, whose birthday fell on the 12th of March. Both
Joan and Butch were absent on the day, but Joan was toasted warmly in absentia —
as is only right and proper.
The Wines
Four wines, four regions, four stopping points on a journey mapped by Butch and
delivered, at short notice, by Mac and Roger. The route ran from the Atlantic coast of
Galicia all the way to the elevated plains of the southeast — a distance of roughly
1,200 kilometres and, as it turned out, a very well-chosen itinerary. Mac took wines
one and three; Roger took two and four.
Mac opened with the Rectoral Do Mar Albaríño 2024 from Rías Baixas in Galicia —
a wine that smelled of lemon, white peach, and the Atlantic, and tasted precisely as
promised. At €5.79, it set an excellent standard and a deceptively low price for what
was to follow. Roger followed with the Excellens Rosé 2024 from Rioja — a
Marqués de Cáceres production that was pale, elegant, and all rose petals and
summer fruit. Young, vibrant, and entirely unapologetic about it. The room approved.
Mac then presented the third wine — and took considerable theatrical pleasure in
pausing before announcing the price. The EORA Tempranillo 2024 — a Vino de
España at €2.89 — divided the room along entirely predictable lines. A number of
members were visibly sceptical. Others, approaching it without prejudice, found a
soft, perfectly drinkable Tempranillo with no business costing less than a coffee. By
the end of the glass, even some of the sceptics had quietly revised their position and
reached for the bottle again. Butch’s judgment, as usual, held.
Chocolate, a Toast & the Road Ahead
Roger closed the tasting with the Laya 2024 from DO Almansa — a deep, inky blend
of Garnacha Tintorera and Monastrell from the high plains of the southeast. Full-bodied, dark-fruited, and — in a touch that was entirely Roger’s own — accompanied
by dark chocolate distributed to every table. The science, as Roger explained, is
straightforward: the polyphenols in the chocolate mirror those in the Monastrell, the
fat softens the tannins, and the bitterness amplifies the fruit. The room accepted this
explanation with great willingness.
After the final glass, a quiet toast was raised to Butch Parry — in recognition of the
wines he had chosen and the afternoon he had, in absentia, helped to create.
Sally drew the raffle — four tickets, four bottles of wine, four pleased faces — and
the afternoon wound down as WAG afternoons should: slowly, convivially, and with
no great urgency on anyone’s part to be elsewhere. Next meeting: Wednesday 15
April. The expectation, widely shared, is that a certain Butch Parry will be back in his
seat where he belongs.
Contact Mac and Roger at wine.appreciation@u3ajavea.com
